Brooklyn Park Burglars Foiled By Observant Neighbor

BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (WCCO) – Many neighborhoods have a neighborhood watch – all with the hope that nothing will ever happen. But on the rare occasion it does, it’s good to know a neighbor’s watching.

Mark, a 25-year Brooklyn Park resident, says he was alerted of suspicious activity by his neighbor.

“Last Wednesday, I got a call from the neighbor and she had noticed…three people walking up to my side door,” Mark said.

When he got the call, Mark told her to call 911, which she did – and not a second too late.

Brooklyn Park Police Inspector Todd Milburn says time was of the essence.

“In this case, if we were called 10 to 15 seconds later, we probably would not have caught the suspects in this case,” Milburn said.

Mark arrived in time to see the police in action.

“When I got home, the police were here and I happened to see them up on the drive up there. They were putting them in the car,” Mark said.

Police saw a car driven by 19-year-old Christine Lewis speeding away. A PIT maneuver was used to pull the car over. Lewis, along with a juvenile, and cousins Dashay Williams, 20, and 19-year-old Trevon Williams were arrested.

During an interview, police say Lewis told them she would knock on the door of random houses, while the others waited in the car.

“If somebody’s home they’ll make up an excuse. They’ll ask if they have information on a lost dog,” said Milburn.

If nobody’s home, like Mark, police say they break inside.

Mark knows he got lucky, and has his neighbor and police to thank. An iPad, jewelry and three guns taken from his home were returned. His broken door has been fixed.

“Very lucky,” Mark said. “For something bad to happen, it couldn’t have turned out any better.”

Police say Lewis told them that she had knocked on the door of another home that morning, but people were there – so they left.

All four people arrested have been charged with second-degree burglary.